Improvement in a post-stroke pediatric patient with hemiplegia: Use of a hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy with hybrid assistive limb

Abstract

Background: Pediatric stroke is a rare medical condition that often leads to long-lasting motor and cognitive impairments. Although therapies for adults after a stroke are well described, treatments for motor deficits following a pediatric stroke are yet to be investigated. We report a case of pediatric stroke in the chronic phase, in which a combination of novel treatments resulted in a significant improvement in physical function.

Case report: A seven-year-old girl with a left hemispheric cerebral infarction lost almost all right upper extremity motor function. Following onabotulinumtoxinA treatment, she underwent hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy augmented with a hybrid assistive limb for 90 h over 15 days. Evaluation after the training revealed significant improvements in physical function, daily activities, and occupational performance.

Conclusions: This report highlights the importance of innovative combinations of techniques in the treatment of pediatric stroke.

Keywords: Hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy (HABIT); Hybrid assistive limb® (HAL®); OnabotulinumtoxinA; Pediatric stroke.